Pledging to make a difference - a homespun success story

Did somebody say it can’t be done? Two young entrepreneurs have pledged it can! New Zealand’s first creative crowdfunding platform breaks new ground.

‘PledgeMe’ is the brainchild of Brazilian technical guru Camilo Borges and Wellingtonian Anna Guenther. The website is a home-grown version of the American crowd-funding giant Kickstarter.com which has raised millions of dollars to help turn creative dreams into realities.

At PledgeMe.co.nz, project ideas are posted online for people to help fund in return for a creative reward. The site’s success is tangible proof there was a real gap in the local market.

Already more than $10,000 has been raised through 150 pledgers and Guenther, who is currently studying towards a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship, says this is just the beginning.

“All types of creatives can use PledgeMe - we’ve helped fund projects in film, music, art and journalism and there is potential for so much more. I believe what we’ve seen is just the tip of the iceberg. PledgeMe has the potential to become a household name in the very near future.”

“How many times have you seen great projects simply not happen because of financial constraints? Already we’ve had some fantastic successes, such as Wellington band St Rupertsberg. They needed $1800 to fund the post-production work on their first album and through PledgeMe raised that in seven days.

“We’ve also helped secure funding for post-production work on a documentary featuring Kiwi artists living in Berlin. The series interviewed Ladi-6 and we were excited Minuit pledged on the project.”

So welcome to a new era where creatives can kiss goodbye to filling out forms and ticking off boxes while waiting to get noticed and welcome to www.pledgeme.co.nz.